HomeLight, a marketplace for connecting homeowners with real estate agents, announced Tuesday (August 7) that it is collaborating with U.S. News & World Report.
In a press release, HomeLight said it will power USNews.com’s agent recommendation tool and provide market trends and editorial content in its real estate section. HomeLight said its contributions will provide consumers with insight into market statistics, top performing agents and other demographic data they need to make decisions about real estate in more than 7,000 cities nationwide. Visitors to USNews.com will be able to fill out a short online form and immediately connect with real estate agents.
“People come to USNews.com because they’re in the process of making an important decision,” Chad Smolinski, chief product officer for U.S. News, said in the press release. “Our collaboration with HomeLight gives them the tools and information they need to better understand real estate trends in their local market and connect directly with agents that can support their goals.”
According to HomeLight, the deal with USNews.com is the latest partnership it has inked with companies that are looking to enhance audience engagement and expand the products they offer. It said it is the only company in the U.S. that uses performance data to determine which real estate agents sell homes faster and for a higher price. HomeLight also provides partners with real estate agent data that is not available elsewhere, customizable agent performance and market data and objective real estate agent recommendations.
“There is no shortage of information available online about real estate today, but the quality of that information can vary greatly,” said Devu Gandhi, vice president of business development at HomeLight. “U.S. News & World Report provides a well-established and trusted voice that consumers need as they navigate a process that can be extremely confusing. Combining that expertise with our robust data and agent matching tools is a winning combination for home buyers and sellers.”
HomeLight noted that in the past year it has helped homeowners list close to $5 billion worth of homes. It has data on more than two million real estate agents.
